y'/lJ^j 


JaT  rr. 


SADI?£B/?S  I 

.BOSTON-  T^ 


JOHNA.SEAVERNS 


_.  x i: ....// K. M. 

Plate  I.  —  FKAMEWORK  OF  THE   HORSE. 
The  line  E  to  F  running  through  the  fourteenth  vertebra,  or  centre  of  motion  of  the  horse. 


HO\AA 


TO 


RIDE 


MARK  W.  CROSS   &   CO. 


SADDLERS 


ii8   pjv'^   120  SUDBURY  STREET 
BOSTON 


Copyright,  1891,  by 
MARK  W.  CROSS  &  CO. 


Press  op  Berwick  &  Smith, 
Boston,  U.S.A. 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE. 


It  is  quite  true  that  no  book  can,  without  practice,  teach  the  reader  how 
to  ride.  Practical  arts  can  only  be  learned  by  practical  experience.  Never- 
theless, we  can  learn  considerable  from  the  collected  experience  of  the 
finest  horsemen  of  the  present  and  past  generation.  And  this  we  may  say, 
those  Avho  are  seeking  knowledge  on  this  subject  will  find  here  the  results 
of  many  years  of  experience,  written  by  those  who  are  in  every  case 
thorough  masters  of  the  subject  they  treat. 

We  have  tried  in  this  volume  to  place  simply  and  clearly  before  the 
reader,  not  only  a  fund  of  information,  and  the  art  of  riding  as  taught  by 
the  best  professors  the  world  has  seen,  but  also  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  proper  equipment  required.  It  will  show  the  necessity  of  having  the 
saddle  to  suit  the  rider,  and  not  compelling  one  to  ride  only  as  the  saddle 
permits.  In  the  selection  of  an  outfit,  the  knowledge  here  gained  will 
enable  the  rider  to  be  the  judge  of  what  will  best  suit  his  or  her  require- 
ments. 

The  artist,  after  years  of  toil,  is  compensated  by  the  attention  his  work 
receives  from  the  public ;  and  we  ask  the  reader  to  pay  us  the  compliment 
of  examining  the  second  part  of  our  labor,  the  collection  of  riding  equip- 
ments in  our  warerooms,  for  we  have  labored  as  hard  to  bring  this  to 
perfection  as  we  have  in  editing  this  work. 

Our  knowledge  of  the  mechanical  laws  that  govern  the  relation  between 
horse  and  rider  has  been  put  into  practice,  and  our  riding  saddles  are  the 
result  of  years  of  careful  thought,  of  attention  to  all  improvements  tending 
towards  safety  and  comfort,  of  travel  abroad  and  consultation  with  the 
finest  makers  and  the  ablest  equestrians  the  world  affords. 

In  presenting  this  volume  to  the  reader  the  only  reAvard  we  hope   to 

reap  is  that  you  may  visit  us.     In  doing  this  we  feel  certain  you  will  be 

repaid,  in  looking  at  the  finest  and  most  complete  collections  of  horse  goods 

ever  brought  together. 

MARK  W.    CROSS   &  CO. 
Boston,  July,  1891. 


CONTENTS. 


PART   I. 

PAGE 

Introduction 11 

The  Framework  of  the  Horse 12 

The  Influence  of  the  Saddle  on  the  Seat 15 

Seats 20 

The  Jockey's  Saddle  and  Seat ...  23 

The  Hunting  Seat 24 

Road-Riding 26 

The  Military  Seat 29 

PART   II. 

"First  Lessons " 35 

Mounting 36 

"  The  Rise  "  in  the  Stirrups 40 

Dismounting 42 

Ladies'  Riding 44 

Leaping 52 

Hints  to  Beginners 54 

7 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 


Framework  of  the  Horse Frontispiece 

"  Our  Gladstone  Saddle  " 32 

"  Our  Victoria  Saddle" 33 

"  Prepare  to  Mount  " 37 

"  Mount  " 39 

"  The  Proper  Seat  " 41 

Holding  a  Full  Bridle 43 

Mounting 45 

Seated 47 

Off  Side  of  Victoria  Saddle,  showing  Level  Seat 49 

Ladies'  Reins 51 

Holding  Reins  in  Leaping , 53 

Peterson  Stirrup 55 


9 


HOW   TO   RIDE. 


The  most  proper  recreation  of  studious,  sedentary  persons  lohose  labor  is  thought, 
is  horseback  exercise.  —  John  Locke. 


PART   I.  — INTRODUCTION. 

There  is  no  lack  of  books  in  which  very  full  and  particular  descriptions 
of  model  seats  on  horseback  may  be  found,  nor  of  riding-masters  who  both 
know  how  to  sit  a  horse  themselves  and  impart  to  their  pupils  their  own 
particular  method.  But  this  will  not  answer  the  purpose,  for  there  exists 
not  only  a  certain  number  of  typical  seats,  more  or  less  suited  to  various 
ends,  as  racing,  hunting,  the  cavalry  service,  etc.,  all  of  which  have  their 
peculiar  justification,  but  there  is  also  a  great  variety  in  the  build  of 
horses,  and  especially  in  the  relative  power  of  their  fore  and  hind  quarters, 
which  demands  consideration,  if  we  would  avoid  the  serious  and  but  too 
common  error  of  using  up  one  set  of  members  prematurely  whilst  leaving 
the  others  intact.  For  instance,  nothing  is  more  frequent  than  to  see 
horses,  otherwise  perfectly  sound,  irreparably  ruined  in  the  fore  legs. 

Moreover,  there  exists  an  equal  variety  in  the  build  of  the  riders,  which 
also  requires  consideration.  A  man  of  heavy  weight  cannot  be  expected  to 
sit  his  horse  as  a  man  of  lighter  build,  nor  a  well  "  split  up  "  man  like  one 
long  above  the  hips  and  short  below ;  nevertheless,  there  is  no  reason  why 
each  and  all  of  them  should  not  sit  well  and  judiciously,  though  their  seats 
must  be  necessarily  different. 

The  aim  of  this  little  treatise  is,  therefore,  by  appealing  to  the  intelli- 
gence, common-sense,  and  good  feeling  of  all  riding  men,  to  enable  each  to 
discover  for  himself  what  best  suits  his  own  peculiar  case,  and  will  put  him 
in  a  position  to  make  the  best  and  the  most  of  every  horse  he  may  have  to 
ride,  in  the  safest  manner,  and  it  will  also  afford  an  opportunity  of  pointing 


12  HOW  TO  RIDE. 

out  the  danger  of  exaggerations,  and  the  gross  absurdity  of  applying  a  style 
of  riding  specially  adapted  to  one  purpose,  to  others  that  have  no  analogy 
with  it ;  in  fact,  it  will  be  shown  that  different  styles  of  riding  are  not  only 
inevitable,  but  legitimate,  because  the  ends  to  be  attained  vary  considerably. 
The  intention  is  to  refrain  from  all  dogmatism  and  assertions,  and  merely 
present  general  principles,  derived  from  mechanical  laws  that  admit  of  no 
controversy,  showing  their  inevitable  bearing  on  the  most  important  points, 
and  leaving  the  reader  as  much  as  possible  to  form  his  own  judgment 
independently,  and  arrive  at  a  practical  application  for  himself. 


THE   FRAMEWORK   OF  THE   HORSE. 

The  horse  depicted  in  Plate  I.  is  of  an  average  description,  and  stands 
in  a  natural  position.  The  eye  tells  us  at  once  that  a  somewhat  greater 
proportion  of  its  weight  rests  on  the  fore  legs  than  on  the  hind  ones,  owing, 
as  one  sees,  to  the  projecting  position  of  the  head  and  neck,  which  are 
much  heavier  than  the  tail. 

Looking  now  at  the  spinal  column,  the  framework  of  the  back,  on  which 
the  rider's  weight  is  to  be  placed,  we  perceive  that  the  spinal  processes  of 
the  first  thirteen  vertebrse  of  the  back,  reckoning  from  the  point  where  the 
neck  is  attached,  incline  backwards,  whereas  those  of  the  remaining  ten 
vertebrae  incline  forwards ;  the  fourteenth  vertebra,  with  its  process,  stand- 
ing perfectly  upright,  and  forming,  as  it  were,  the  keystone  of  the  arch 
thus  presented,  so  that,  in  fact,  this  fourteenth  vertebra  becomes  the  centre 
of  motion  of  the  horse's  body  —  the  point  about  which  the  several  move- 
ments of  the  fore  and  hind  legs  are  performed  ;  and  this  is  further  shown 
by  the  distribution  and  points  of  attachment  of  the  muscles  of  the  back 
and  adjacent  parts  of  the  fore  and  hind  quarters.  The  internal  motion  of 
the  several  parts  of  the  body  increases  in  proportion  to  their  distance  from 
the  fourteenth  vertebra:  and  the  same  is  applicable  to  burdens  placed  on  the 
horse's  back,  especially  a  rider. 


HOW  TO  RIDE.  13 

It  has  been  already  pointed  out  that,  in  consequence  of  the  projecting 
position  of  the  head  and  neck,  especially  when  the  horse  stands  at  ease,  a 
somewhat  greater  proportion  of  its  total  weight  falls  on  the  fore  legs  than 
on  the  hinder  ones  ;  and  when  it  depresses  its  head  still  more  than  is  repre- 
sented in  Plate  I., — for  instance,  for  the  purpose  of  grazing,  —  the  animal 
puts  forward  one  fore  leg,  and  usually  at  the  some  time  the  hind  leg  of  the 
opposite  side,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  its  equilibrium  ;  and  even  horses 
standing  still,  especially  under  a  load,  do  the  same,  in  order  to  rest  each 
pair  of  legs  alternately. 

We  learn  two  facts  from  this :  first,  that  the  fore  legs  are  essentially 
bearers,  and  that  the  hind  ones,  although  chiefly  propellers,  are  also  to  a 
certain  extent  bearers. 

Put  a  man  on  a  horse  without  a  saddle,  and  with  nothing  but  a  halter  on 
the  animal's  head,  and  he  will  inevitably  slip  forwards  till  his  seat  comes  in 
contact  with  the  withers.  Let  him  then  stand  still,  and  the  horse,  espe- 
cially if  a  young  or  untrained  one,  will  most  probably  shove  forward  his 
hind  or  fore  legs  in  one  of  these  two  ways. 

Now  we  may  favor  the  propelling  power  of  the  hind  legs  by  weighting 
forward  within  certain  limits  ;  and  this  we  know  to  be  the  case,  — the  long 
stride  of  the  race-horse  is  favored  by  the  well-known  forward  seat  of  the 
jockey.  And  it  is  equally  true  that  placing  the  weight  too  near  the  hind 
legs  must  diminish  their  propelling  power,  by  converting  them,  in  a  greater 
degree,  into  bearers.  There  can  be  no  question  but  that  weighting  in  this 
manner  diminishes  speed. 

In  the  action  of  a  horse  the  first  point  to  be  observed  is,  that  in  walking 
and  trotting  the  horse  moves  its  diagonal  legs  simultaneously  or  nearly  so, 
that  is  to  say,  the  off  fore  and  the  near  hind  legs  move  together  and  alter- 
nate in  this  action  with  the  near  fore  and  off  hind  ones ;  so  that,  whilst  the 
one  pair  is  being  moved  forward,  the  other  sustains  the  weight  of  the 
animal. 

In  cantering  and  galloping  the  case  is  different :  the  two  legs  at  the 
same  side  are  advanced  simultaneously,  the  other  two  remaining  behind. 

This  will  serve  to  explain  why  it  is  that,  although  a  moderate  trot  is  less 
fatiguing  to  horses  than  any  other  pace  for  a  long  journey,  on  account  of 
the  pairs  of  legs  being  used  as  bearers  and  propellers  alternately,  some 
horses  will,  under  the  rider,  break  into  a  canter,  the  alternate  shifting  of 


14  HOW  TO  RIDE. 

their  own  and  his  weight  from  right  to  left  becoming  more  fatiguing  than 
the  constant  use  of  each  pair  of  legs  for  the  same  functions  ;  and  the  proof 
is,  that  many  of  these  horses  will  go  a  steady  trot  in  harness  when  they 
have  only  their  own  weight  to  adjust.  It  also  explains  why  horses,  when 
hurried  in  their  trot,  and  over-weighted  in  the  forehand,  whereby  the  bearers 
(fore  legs)  become  unable  to  support  the  weight  thrown  more  and  more 
rapidly  on  them  by  the  hind  legs,  which  now  act  solely  as  propellers,  natu- 
rally, and  to  save  themselves  from  falling,  "  lead "  with  a  fore  leg,  imme- 
diately followed  by  a  hind  one  —  that  is  to  say,  break  into  a  canter. 

Horses  that  overstep,  that  is,  bring  the  hind  feet  ahead  of  the  track  of 
print  of  the  fore  ones,  will  be  usually  found  to  be  such  as  are  over-weighted 
on  the  forehand,  whilst  those  that  step  short  are  usually  such  as  are  over- 
weighted behind. 

The  advantage  conferred  by  throwing  the  weight  forward  is,  that  it  tends 
to  increase  the  speed;  the  disadvantages  attendant  on  it  are  diminished 
stability,  and  the  rapid  using-up  of  the  fore  legs.  It  has  been  shown  that 
the  centre  of  motion,  that  is  to  say,  the  point  around  which  all  otlier  parts 
of  the  animal  move  when  in  action,  or  what  comes  to  the  same  thing,  the 
point  where  the  least  motion  is  felt,  is  situated  somewhere  in  a  perpendicu- 
lar falling  through  the  fourteenth  vertebra,  Plate  I. 

Again,  in  a  ship  or  boat  of  any  kind,  people  that  have  experienced  sea- 
sickness soon  find  out  where  the  centre  of  motion  lies,  and  nestle  round  it ; 
and  the  master  who  sails  her  knows  well  that  his  cargo  or  load,  whatever  it 
may  be,  must  be  so  stowed  away  that  the  centre  of  gravity  of  the  whole 
coincides  with  the  centre  of  motion  of  the  vessel.  This  is  what  is  called 
"trim,"  as  we  all  know.  Now,  the  horse  under  a  rider  must  have  the  trim 
that  suits  the  objects  of  the  latter,  and  bringing  the  rider's  body,  from  the 
hips  upwards,  slightly  forwards  or  backwards,  will  answer  exactly  the  same 
purposes  as  shifting  the  hands  in  a  yacht. 

The  fourteenth  vertebra  indicates,  by  its  peculiar  shape  and  position,  a 
different  function  from  that  of  the  others,  all  of  which  evidently  admit  of 
movement  towards  it,  within  certain  limits,  whilst  this  one,  not  being 
adapted  for  this  purpose,  may  so  far  be  considered  to  be  intended  for  the 
centr-e  of  motion.  The  construction  of  the  horse's  legs,  and  the  relative 
position  of  the  various  bones  composing  them,  furnish  us  with  very  clear 
proof  of  this  same  vertebra  being  the  real  centre  of  motion  when  the  horse 


HOW  TO  RIDE.  15 

is  in  action.  For  there  is  one  bone  in  each  of  the  hind  and  fore  legs 
through  which  the  remainder  of  the  limb  acts  as  a  lever  on  the  whole  frame, 
either  for  the  purpose  of  propelling  it  (hind  legs),  or  supporting  and  lifting 
it  (fore  legs).  These  are  the  thigh-bone  and  the  arm-bone,  whose  upper 
ends  have  their  fulcrums  or  points  of  support  in  the  hip-bones  and  shoulder- 
blades. 

It  is  therefore  evident  that,  both  in  a  state  of  rest  and  of  action,  the 
fourteenth  vertebra  is  constantly  the  centre  of  motion. 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  SADDLE  ON  THE  SEAT. 

It  would  be  only  reasonable,  one  would  suppose,  to  accommodate  our 
saddles  to  our  seats,  just  as  we  do  every  other  instrument  to  the  purposes 
for  which  it  is  intended ;  but  this  is  precisely  what  is  very  seldom  done, 
and  in  the  great  majority  of  instances  the  rider  sits  his  horse  just  in  the 
fashion  his  saddle  allows,  or,  perhaps,  compels  him  to  do.  It  is  therefore 
a  matter  of  some  importance  to  understand  clearly  the  mechanical  princi- 
ples applicable  to  this  piece  of  horse-furniture,  as  it  will  enable  every  rider 
to  ascertain  exactly  what  he  wants,  and  how  to  attain  his  object,  whatever 
that  may  be,  as  also  to  save  his  horse's  back. 

To  begin  with  the  under  surface  of  the  saddle  —  the  portion  coming  in 
contact  with  the  horse's  back  —  we  find  two  principal  points  for  considera- 
tion, —  its  shape  or  form,  and  its  size  or  extent.  One  general  mechanical 
principle  applies  to  both,  namely,  that  the  larger  the  surface  over  which 
a  given  amount  of  pressure  is  equably  spread  or  divided,  the  less  will  be 
the  action  on  any  given  point  of  the  other  surface  in  contact ;  and  this 
translated  into  plain  English  means,  as  regards  shape,  that  the  under  sur- 
face of  the  saddle  should  bear  as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  relation  to 
that  part  of  the  horse's  back  it  is  intended  to  occupy,  as  a  mould  does  to 
the  cast  that  is  taken  from  it,  always  saving  and  excepting  that  strip  lying 


16  HOW  TO  BIDE. 

over  the  horse's  backbone,  which  must  remain  altogether  out  of  contact. 
The  notion  of  making  one  portion  come  into  closer  contact  than  another, 
"  giving  a  gripe,"  with  the  intention  of  preventing  the  saddle  slipping,  is 
altogether  erroneous,  because  it  is  the  sum  total  of  the  pressure  which  pro- 
duces the  cohesion  between  two  surfaces  ;  its  being  concentrated  on  one 
point  or  line  does  not  increase  this  amount,  but  is  very  likely  to  make  a 
hole  in  the  horse's  back. 

As  regards  size  or  extent  of  surface,  the  meaning  is,  that  the  greater 
this  is  with  a  given  weight,  the  less  will  be  the  pressure  on  any  given 
point,  and  consequently  the  less  risk  of  sore  back,  provided  always  that 
the  pressure  be  equally  distributed  over  the  whole  surface.  To  make  a 
saddle  a  yard  long,  and  put  the  weight  altogether  at  one  of  its  extremities 
is  not  the  way  to  attain  this  very  desirable  object. 

There  must  be  some  limit  to  the  size  of  a  saddle,  for  its  own  absolute 
weight  is  a  matter  of  serious  consideration.  Let  the  size  be  proportioned 
to  the  Aveight  to  be  carried,  and  if  you  have  a  tender-backed  horse,  make  it 
a  little  bigger  than  would  be  otherwise  necessary.  Of  course  a  jock  can 
ride  his  race  on  a  thing  that  is  more  a  contrivance  for  hanging  up  a  pair  of 
stirrups  than  a  saddle,  whilst  a  two-hundred-pound  rider  must  divide  his 
weight  over  as  large  a  surface  as  convenient. 

The  way  in  which  the  weight  of  the  saddle  may  be  decreased  without 
its  useful  under  surface  being  narrowed  is  to  use,  for  the  tree,  materials 
combining  great  strength  and  moderate  elasticity  with  the  least  possible 
weight.  If  the  plates  supporting  the  tree  be  made  thin  and  light,  they 
bend,  and  then  retain  the  wood  in  a  distorted  shape.  The  platings  should 
be  made  of  steel  not  too  highly  tempered.  There  should  be  little,  if  any, 
padding  under  the  flaps,  as  increased  thickness  between  the  rider's  leg  and 
the  horse  brings  the  former  away  from  the  latter. 

Supposing,  now,  the  under  surface  of  the  saddle  to  have  the  proper  form 
and  size,  the  next  point  to  be  determined  is,  where  to  put  the  weight.  As 
we  cannot,  in  consequence  of  this  being  a  man,  divide  and  spread  it  out 
equably  over  the  whole  upper  part  of  the  saddle  as  we  would  inert  matter 
of  any  kind,  we  must  place  the  rider's  centre  of  gravity  exactly  over  the 
centre  of  the  bearing-surface  of  the  saddle,  for  this  is  the  only  single  point 
which,  being  loaded,  transmits  the  pressure  equably  to  the  rest  of  the  surface. 

Take  a  small  common  table  and  place  it  exactly  level  on  sand,  grass,  or 


HOW  TO  BIDE.  17 

soft  ground,  then  put  a  weight  precisely  in  the  centre  of  the  table,  and 
measure  the  depth  to  which  the  feet  have  been  forced  into  the  soil;  you  will 
find  it  to  be  the  same  for  all  four  feet,  if  the  surface  on  which  the  table 
stands  be  equally  soft  througliout ;  then  shift  the  table  a  few  inches,  having 
previously  removed  the  weight,  and  place  this  near  one  of  the  ends,  instead 
of  in  the  middle ;  measure  again,  and  you  will  find  that  the  pair  of  legs 
nearest  to  the  weight  have  penetrated  much  deeper  than  the  others ;  there- 
fore, on  a  horse,  in  order  to  equalize  the  pressure,  the  rider's  weight  should 
be  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  saddle. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Place  a  piece  of  stout  board  about  two  feet  long  on 
the  ground,  stand  on  one  end  of  it,  and  you  will  find  that  the  other  loses  its 
contact  with  the  ground,  and  is  more  or  less  tilted  up  into  the  air ;  the 
board  has  become  a  lever.  Now,  make  a  motion  as  if  about  to  jump,  but 
without  quitting  your  position  on  the  board  ;  this  latter  will,  being  out  of 
contact  with  the  ground  at  the  further  end,  be  shoved  onwards  in  that 
direction.  This  is  precisely  what  happens  when  a  rider  sits  at  one  end  of 
the  saddle,  generally  the  hinder  one ;  this  one  is  pressed  down  into  the 
horse's  back,  the  other,  the  front  end,  is  tilted  up,  and  at  every  movement 
of  the  horse  and  rider  the  whole  saddle  is  shoved  forward  till  stopped  by 
the  withers,  which  it  will  probably  wound. 

We  may  now  go  a  step  farther.  Suppose  the  saddle  be  placed  with  its 
centre  exactly  over  the  combined  centres  of  gravity  and  motion,  and  the 
rider  in  the  centre  of  the  saddle,  there  will  be,  first,  an  equable  distribution 
of  the  combined  weight  of  horse  and  rider  on  all  four  legs,  both  in  a  state 
of  rest  and  action ;  secondly,  the  movements  of  the  horse,  centring  in  this 
point,  have  the  least  possible  tendency  to  disturb  the  seat  of  the  rider  or 
the  position  of  the  saddle ;  thirdly,  the  weight  of  the  rider,  being  equally 
distributed  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  saddle  in  contact  with  the  horse's 
back,  is  therefore  less  likely  to  injure  any  one  portion  of  this  ;  nor  does  it 
convert  the  saddle  into  a  lever,  and  shove  it  forwards  or  backwards. 

Again,  let  us  suppose  the  saddle  as  before,  but  the  rider  sitting  altogether 
at  its  hinder  end,  for  instance,  and  there  will  be,  first,  the  horse's  equilibrium 
destroyed  ;  secondly,  the  rider  himself,  being  nearer  to  the  hind  legs,  will 
first  receive  an  impulse  from  that  direction,  and  be  thrown  forward  till  he 
meets  that  coming  from  the  opposite  direction ;  and  these  two  forces,  instead 
of  resolving  each  other  from  one  common  point  into  their  sum  total,  neu- 


18  HOW  TO  BIDE. 

tralize  each  other  partially  in  successive  shocks,  at  the  expense  of  the 
horse's  legs.  It  will  be  said  that  the  use  of  the  stirrups  is  to  prevent  the 
rider  being  thus  thrown  forward.  No  doubt  they  do,  and  this  kind  of  rider 
always  sticks  out  his  legs  towards  the  horse's  shoulder ;  in  other  words,  he 
transmits  the  shock  from  the  hind  legs  to  the  fore  ones,  through  the  medium 
of  the  stirrups  (this,  by  the  way,  is  the  reason  why  stirrup-leathers  are 
broken),  of  course  shoving  the  saddle  constantly  forward ;  and  these  men's 
girths  can  never  be  drawn  tight  enough  to  prevent  the  saddle  tilting  up  in 
front.  Thirdly,  of  course  his  weight  is  not  distributed  equably  over  the 
whole  under  surface  of  the  saddle. 

The  next  question  to  be  determined  is,  To  what  part  of  the  saddle  should 
the  girths  be  attached  ?  Now,  it  is  very  evident  that,  if  the  placing  of  the 
weight  in  the  centre  of  the  saddle  has  the  effect  of  transmitting  an  equal 
amount  of  pressure  to  all  that  part  of  the  horse's  back  with  which  the  latter 
is  in  contact,  the  attaching  the  girths  so  as  to  act  directly  on  the  centre  of 
the  saddle  will  have  precisely  the  same  effect ;  and  the  friction  that  results 
—  that  is,  the  adhesiveness  produced  by  pressure  —  will  be  equable  through- 
out, and  of  course  least  likely  to  injure  any  one  particular  point. 

The  point  from  which  the  stirrup  is  suspended  has  nearly  an  equal  influ- 
ence on  the  stability  of  the  saddle,  and  a  much  greater  one  on  the  form  of 
the  seat  than  the  position  of  the  girths.  If  the  stirrups  be  wrong,  all  the 
rest  being  right  will  be  of  little  avail. 

What  is  the  legitimate  use  of  the  stirrups  besides  enabling  us  to  mount 
our  horses  ?  The  first  and  most  obvious  one  is  to  give  the  rider  lateral 
support,  that  is,  prevent  his  slipping  off  to  the  right  or  left  by  his  seat 
revolving  round  the  horse's  body  as  a  wheel  does  round  an  axle.  In  riding 
barebacked,  or  on  a  saddle  without  stirrups,  if  the  rider  falls  it  is  most  gen- 
erally to  one  side,  and  not  directly  forwards  or  backwards ;  and  it  is  very 
evident  that  the  more  directly  upon  the  rider's  seat  the  stirrups  be  sus- 
pended, the  more  efficiently  will  they  perform  this  duty,  the  resistance 
offered  by  them  being  perpendicularly  upwards,  or  precisely  in  the  opposite 
direction  to  that  in  which  the  weight  falls,  which  is  perpendicularly  down- 
wards ;  whereas,  if  the  stirrups  be  suspended  at  a  distance  from  the  rider's 
seat,  they  act  at  an  angle  to  the  line  of  fall;  they  may,  and  always  do,  in 
such  a  position  change  the  direction  of  the  fall,  but  they  cannot  meet  and 
prevent  it  so  efficiently  as  when  placed  under  the  seat. 


HOW  TO  RIDE.  19 

For  military  purposes  the  stirrups  must  be  placed  in  the  centre  of  the 
saddle,  directly  under  the  rider's  seat ;  there  is  no  alternative.  The  cavalry 
soldier  is  often  compelled  in  the  use  of  his  weapons  to  stand  in  his  stirrups. 
If  by  doing  so  the  equilibrium  of  his  horse  be  altered,  he  disables  the  animal 
and  himself  at  the  most  critical  moment. 

We  mentioned  above  that  the  man  riding  barebacked,  or  on  a  saddle 
without  stirrups,  most  frequently  tumbles  off  to  the  right  or  left ;  well,  it 
will  be  found  that  with  stirrups,  especially  when  the  latter  are  very  far  for- 
ward and  very  short,  the  catastrophe  generally  occurs  by  the  performer 
being  thrown  over  his  steed's  neck,  to  the  great  damage  of  collar-bones. 

And  this  brings  us  to  the  length  of  the  stirrup.  The  length  of  the 
arm  is  generally  prescribed  as  being  the  proper  length  for  the  stirrup.  This 
might  answer  well  enough  if  stirrups  were  always  suspended  at  the  same 
perpendicular  distance  from  the  upper  surface  of  the  saddle,  and  also  right 
under  the  rider's  seat,  and  if  men's  arms  and  legs  always  bore  a  fixed  pro- 
portion to  one  another.  To  adjust  the  stirrups  precisely,  the  rider  had 
better  first  mount,  and  then,  letting  these  instruments  loose  together,  shake 
himself  down  into  the  lowest  part  of  the  saddle,  wherever  that  may  be  situ- 
ated ;  his  assistant  may  then  adjust  the  stirrups  to  a  convenient  length. 
There  is  no  use  in  attempting  to  ignore  this  lowest  point,  because  every 
motion  of  the  horse  tends  invariably  to  throw  him  into  it ;  and  if  he  does 
persist  in  ignoring  it,  he  will  find  himself  a  mere  stirrup-rider,  which  is,  in 
its  way,  quite  as  bad  as  a  rein-rider,  the  combination  of  both  being  the  very 
climax  of  bad  riding.  For  the  absolute  length  of  the  stirrup  no  special  rule 
can  be  given,  applicable  to  all  circumstances  and  to  all  kinds  of  riding. 
The  only  general  rule  that  can  be  given  is,  never  make  your  stirrups  so  long 
as  to  render  your  tread  on  them  insecure,  nor  so  short  as  to  allow  them  to 
cramp  up  your  legs  and  deprive  them  of  the  requisite  power  of  motion,  mak- 
ing you  depend  on  the  stirrups  and  not  on  your  seat  for  your  position  in  the 
saddle. 

With  respect  to  the  upper  surface,  or  seat,  of  the  saddle,  we  have  to 
remark,  that  as  the  under  one  must  be  large  in  proportion  to  the  weight,  so 
this  should  be  roomy  in  proportion  to  the  bulk  of  the  rider.  The  sum  of 
the  whole  matter  is  this — the  larger  the  surfaces  of  the  rider  and  saddle 
brought  into  permanent  contact,  the  firmer  will  be  the  seat,  and  the  less 
will  it  depend  on  the  stirrups  or  the  reins. 


-0  BOW  TO  BIDE. 

The  saddle-flaps  serve  in  some  cases  to  increase,  in  others  they  absolutely 
diminish,  the  surface  of  contact  between  the  rider  and  horse  ;  their  chief 
use  is  to  protect  the  man's  legs  from  injury  by  the  girth-buckles,  straps,  etc. 

To  sum  up  the  whole  of  the  foregoing,  we  may  describe  the  general  rule 
for  seats  to  be  this,  —  the  saddle  in  the  centre  of  the  horse's  back  ;  the  girths, 
stirrups,  and  rider  in  the  centre  of  the  saddle. 


SEATS. 

When  one  observes  the  great  variety  of  seats  on  horseback  that  present 
themselves  to  our  notice  every  day,  and  their  totally  contradictory  character 
in  the  most  important  respects,  a  certain  amount  of  bewilderment  necessarily 
ensues.  What,  for  instance,  can  be  more  contradictory  than  to  see  one  man 
sitting  at  one  end  of  the  saddle,  as  in  an  easy-chair,  with  his  legs  tucked  up 
at  the  other,  till  his  knees  are  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  pommel,  called 
"the  wash-ball-seat ;  "  whilst  a  second,  sitting  in  his  fork,  sticks  out  his  legs 
as  stiff  and  as  far  away  from  his  horse  as  he  can,  taking  for  his  model  what 
is  very  aptly  named  "  the  pair-of-tongs-across-a-stone-wall  seat." 

We  start  out  with  the  declaration  that  we  have  no  desire  or  intention 
to  set  up  any  one  kind  of  seat  as  a  model,  but  this  is  no  reason  Avhy  we 
should  not  try  to  find  out  and  lay  before  our  readers  what  are  the  real  essen- 
tials, leaving  them  to  adopt  whatever  suits  their  purpose  best.  Now,  the 
seat  on  horseback  is  maintained  by  balance,  by  friction,  and  by  the  support 
given  by  the  stirrup;  and  it  is  easy  to  perceive  that  such  a  combination  of 
all  three  will  necessarily  secure  a  much  greater  amount  of  stability  than 
can  be  attained  by  depending  on  one  to  the  neglect  of  the  other  two,  or  even 
depending  on  two  in  such  a  manner  as  to  sacrifice  the  third.  The  best  and 
safest  seat  will  be  always  that  which  depends  exclusively  on  no  one  means 
of  support,  but  uses  them  all  in  the  best  manner. 

It  has  been  shown  that  the  stability  of  the  saddle  and  the  safety  of  the 


HOW  TO   RIDE.  21 

horse's  back  depend  to  a  great  extent  on  the  stability  of  the  rider's  weight 
—  that  is  to  say,  on  his  poise  or  balance.  Why  does  anything  tumble  down 
from  the  position  it  has  hitherto  occupied  ?  because  it  loses  its  balance ; 
and  the  rider  that  does  so  is  sure  to  meet  the  same  fate,  unless  the  friction 
of  his  seat,  the  stirrups,  or  the  horse's  mane  are  called  to  the  rescue. 

The  amount  of  surface  of  contact  does  not  increase  friction,  but,  of 
course,  if  the  whole  weight  be  brought  to  bear  on  one  or  two  points  of 
a  rider's  seat,  these  will  soon  require  soap-plaster.  Here,  however,  we  have 
to  do  with  an  inanimate  body,  the  saddle  on  the  one  hand,  and  a  very  lively 
one,  the  rider's  seat  and  legs,  on  the  other,  whose  muscular  action  may  form 
a  very  important  friction ;  and  the  amount  of  this  action  does  increase  with 
the  surfaces  in  contact,  because  a  greater  number  of  muscles  are  brought 
into  action.  Therefore  we  can  never  bring  too  great  an  amount  of  the  sur- 
faces of  our  seat  and  legs  into  contact  with  the  saddle. 

In  some  forms  of  seats  the  rider  depends  almost  entirely  on  the  pressure 
of  his  knees  against  the  fore  part  of  the  saddle,  and  relinquishes  altogether 
the  advantages  derived  from  steady  contact  of  his  seat  with  the  other  end 
of  it.  The  best  hunting,  steeplechase,  and  military  riders  we  have  ever 
seen  all  agreed  on  this  one  point  at  least :  that  of  depending  on  the  thigh, 
and  not  the  "under-leg,"  for  their  seat ;  and  hence  is  derived  the  grand  car- 
dinal rule  for  a  good  seat :  "  From  the  hips  upwards  movable,  in  order  to 
enable  the  rider  to  vary  his  balance,  or  use  his  weapons  \from  the  hnee  down- 
ward movable,  for  the  use  of  the  spur,  and  the  control  of  the  horse's  hind 
legs  ;  atid  betiveen  these  two  points,  hip  and  knee,  fixed,  for  the  seat."  Accord- 
ing to  this  rule,  the  middle  of  the  rider  adheres,  both  by  weight  and  muscu- 
lar action,  to  the  middle  of  the  horse  ;  according  to  the  other  system,  the 
lower  third  of  the  rider  clings,  by  muscular  action  alone,  to  the  horse's 
shoulders,  aided,  perhaps,  to  a  certain  extent,  by  the  stirrup. 

But  this  brings  us  to  the  stirrup.  Kiding  was  certainly  invented  and 
practised  before  saddles  existed ;  and  it  is  nearly  equally  certain  that  the 
first  saddles,  pads,  or  whatever  they  were,  had  no  stirrups,  these  contri- 
vances having  been  subsequently  invented  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the 
rider  further  aid  in  addition  to  that  derived  from  balance  and  friction. 
Even  nowadays  many  a  man  can  ride  barebacked  without  stirrups ;  and  this 
very  short  statement  of  facts  ought,  we  think,  to  go  far  to  prove  that  stir- 
rups are  very  subordinate  in  value  to  balance  and  friction  taken  together. 


22  BOW  TO  BIDE. 

which  is  precisely  why  we  have  used  the  term  stirrup-riding  in  an  oppro- 
brious sense.  Tlie  "  tongs-across-a-wall  seat "  depends  on  balance  and  the 
stirrup,  renouncing  all  contact  of  the  legs  with  the  horse's  body  ;  the  wash- 
ball  seat  goes  farther,  and  abjures  balance.  If  the  stirrups  are  thrown  too 
far  forward,  the  thigh  runs  diagonally  toward  the  horse's  shoulder,  and  it  is 
evident  that  the  greatest  amount  of  adhesive  surface  is  obtained  by  placing 
the  stirrup  nearly  under  the  rider,  and  making  the  tread  on  it  perpendicular, 
instead  of  in  an  angle  with  the  horizon. 

There  is  a  notion  prevalent  that  a  military  seat  is  a  fork -seat :  this  is 
simply  a  popular  error  that  requires  refutation.  On  the  other  hand,  some 
people  will  persist  in  sitting  on  that  part  of  their  back  which  is  still,  per- 
haps, called  back,  instead  of  on  that  portion  of  it  which  is  honored  with  a 
supplemental  designation. 

What  is  a  man  to  sit  on  ?  Well,  he  has  two  bones  in  his  seat,  which  we 
venture,  in  imitation  of  German  phraseology,  to  call  his  "  sitting-bones," 
and  a  third  in  the  rear  at  tlie  bottom  of  the  spine  ;  this  third  bone  com- 
pletes, with  the  other  two,  a  triangular  basis  for  the  human  seat  on 
horseback. 

Whatever  difference  of  opinion  may  exist  as  to  Avhere  the  rider  should 
sit  in  his  saddle,  or  however  necessary  it  may  be  to  vary  the  exact  position 
of  the  seat  according  to  the  object  in  view,  there  can  be  no  doubt  whatever 
that  the  only  firm  and  steady  seat  is  on  the  triangle.  No  good  rider  sits  on 
his  for/i,  nor  on  his  spinal  bone,  but  on  his  seat.  How  this  seat  is  to  be 
obtained  depends  on  the  conformation  of  the  man.  The  toes  should  be 
turned  in  just  enough  to  increase  the  hollow  of  the  thigh  ;  but  the  round- 
thighed  man,  in  order  to  get  a  hollow  curve,  may  have  to  tu7'n  out  his  toes  a 
little  more  than  a  man  of  slender  build. 

The  seat,  therefore,  depends  on  balance,  on  the  amount  of  surface  brought 
into  contact  with  the  saddle,  both  of  which  in  their  turn  depend  on  whether 
the  rider's  weight  rests  on  three,  two,  or  only  one  corner  of  a  triangle  ;  and 
all  this  is  necessarily  modified  by  the  position  of  the  stirrup.  We  have 
endeavored  to  show  the  relative  value  of  each  element  in  succession,  and 
now  leave  the  reader  to  make  such  a  combination  of  them  as  best  suits  his 
purpose,  reminding  him  merely  that,  although  he  may  safely  modify  first 
principles,  he  never  can  totally  despise  them  without  committing  an 
absurdity. 


HOW  TO  BIDE.  23 

The  advocates  of  beginning  without  stirrups  say  you  must  first  give  the 
pupil  a  seat,  and  then  when  he  has  acquired  balance  and  a  hold  of  his  horse, 
you  can  give  him  the  additional  assistance  of  the  stirrups.  Now,  the  most 
difficult  thing  to  attain  is  balance,  and  the  stirrup  was  devised  for  the  pur- 
pose of  assisting  in  acquiring  and  maintaining  it ;  and  it  is  therefore  just 
as  reasonable  to  act  in  this  manner  as  it  would  be  to  set  a  boy  to  learn  swim- 
ming without  corks  or  bladders,  and  when  he  learned  to  support  himself  in 
the  water  give  him  these  artificial  aids.  But  there  is  another  objection ; 
namely,  that  the  pupil  first  acquires  one  seat,  and  afterwards  is  expected  to 
change  it  for  another  and  better  one. 

Long  experience  in  training  recruits  has  resulted  in  the  conviction  that 
it  is  much  better,  and  in  the  end  more  expeditious,  to  give  the  young  rider 
stirrups  from  tlie  beginning;  and  when  he  has  acquired  a  certain  amount  of 
confidence  and  balance  you  may  take  away  the  stirrups  to  perfect  the  latter, 
without  running  tlie  least  risk  of  destroying  the  former. 


THE  JOCKEY'S   SADDLE   AND   SEAT. 

The  saddle  is  placed  just  over  the  fourteenth  vertebra;  it  is  of  such 
small  dimensions  that  the  rider  can  only  sit  on  one  spot,  and  under  this,  or 
very  nearly  so,  the  girtlis  are  attached,  and  the  stirrups  suspended ;  nay, 
still  further,  a  surcingle  passing  over  the  exact  centre  of  the  saddle  is 
generally  employed.  The  length  of  the  stirrups  should,  according  to  the 
best  authorities,  be  sucli  as  just  to  enable  the  jock  to  clear  his  saddle  when 
he  stands  in  them,  but  never  so  long  as  to  make  him  depend  on  the  reins 
in  the  least  for  his  upright  position ;  therefore,  when  he  does  stand  in  the 
stirrups,  he  transfers,  through  them,  his  weight  to  the  centre  of  the  saddle, 
without,  of  course,  disturbing  the  general  equilibrium  of  his  horse.  When 
he  wishes  to  bring  the  centre  of  gravity  more  forward  — which  favors,  as 


24  HOW  TO  HIDE. 

we  have  shown,  the  propelling  action  of  the  hind  legs  —  he  does  this  by 
bending  his  own  body  forward  fro7n  the  hijJs  upward,  and  throwing  forward 
his  head,  his  legs  remaining  straight  down  close  to  his  horse  ;  and  this  bend 
is  altogether  different  from  that  of  the  rider  who  sits  far  back  in  his  saddle, 
with  his  knees  drawn  up  to  the  horse's  shoulder.  When  he  comes  to  the 
finish,  the  jock  sits  down  to  ''  ride "  his  horse.  ]\Iuch  of  the  success  of 
starting  depends  on  the  rider  throwing  his  weight  forward  at  the  proper 
moment,  and  not  overdoing  it,  as  good  riders  well  know. 


THE   HUNTING   SEAT. 

The  length  of  hunting  saddles  has  been  increasing  constantly  with  the 
rapidity  of  the  pace  ;  and  although  an  increase  of  the  bearing  surface  of 
the  saddle,  as  has  been  already  shown,  is  an  admirable  thing  in  itself,  no 
great  advantage  is  derived,  so  far  as  the  horse's  back  is  concerned,  unless 
the  rider  be  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  saddle.  But  our  saddles  have  been 
lengthened  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  us  to  get  farther  away  from 
the  stirrup,  so  as  to  use  this  as  a  point  of  support,  not  against  falling  to  the 
right  or  left,  but  to  prevent  one's  being  pulled  right  over  the  horse's  head 
in  fast  galloping  and  jumping;  and  thus  many  riders  whose  object  really 
is  to  throw  their  weight  somcAvhat  forward,  because  this  favors  speed, 
actually  come  to  sit  almost  on  the  loins  of  their  horses,  where  they  seriously 
impede  the  action  of  the  propellers,  and  are  then  compelled  to  throw  their 
body  forward  in  the  most  inconvenient  and  unsightly  manner. 

It  involves  unnecessary  wear  and  tear  of  the  horse's  fore  legs,  because 
the  rider's  weight  is  with  every  bound  throAvn  forward  into  his  stirrups ; 
whereas,  by  sitting  over  the  centre  of  motion,  the  shock  is  equally  divided 
over  all  four  legs,  and  not  on  one  pair  alone.  So  it  is  very  evident  that 
a  man  may  sit  far  back  and  still  ruin  his  horse's  fore  legs.  Secondly,  it  is 
not  the  safest  method,  because,  if  the  horse  fails  with  one  or  both  fore  legs, 


HOW  TO   BIDE.  26 

the  rider  loses  all  his  support  at  once,  the  stirrup  acting  only  as  a  pivot 
round  which,  by  means  of  his  stiff  leg,  his  whole  body  is  made,  by  the 
impulse  received  from  the  hind  legs,  to  rotate  and  go  over  the  horse's  head. 
And  if  a  horse  suddenly  swerves,  turns  on  his  haunches,  or  comes  to  a  dead 
halt  at  a  jump,  the  rider  is  most  likely  to  continue  the  original  line  of 
movement,  whilst  the  horse  adopts  a  new  one,  or  ''  reposes."  Thirdly,  this 
method  of  riding  tends  very  forcibly  to  making  the  horse  convert  the  rider's 
hand  into  a  fifth  leg  for  itself,  the  pull  of  the  head  on  the  rein  coming  at  an 
acute  angle  to  the  push  or  tread  of  the  leg  in  the  stirrup ;  and  this,  when 
carried  to  excess,  degenerates  into  pure  rein  and  stirrup  riding  without  any 
seat,  especially  with  horses  that  carry  their  heads  low. 

The  rule  for  the  jockey  we  have  seen  is,  never,  in  standing  in  his 
stirrups,  to  depend  for  seat  to  any  extent  on  his  reins.  Why  this  should 
be  neglected  in  hunting  is  not  easy  to  understand.  The  Cossacks  and 
Circassians,  who  all  ride  with  a  snaffle,  and  do  wonderful  things  with  it,  sit 
perfectly  independent  of  the  rein ;  any  one  can  make  his  horse  equally 
light  in  the  hand  with  a  snaffle  as  theirs  are,  by  making  his  seat  as  inde- 
pendent of  the  reins  and  stirrups,  or  use  a  curbed  bit  in  hunting  if  he 
pleases.  It  is  the  close,  steady  seat  that  makes  the  hand  light  and  the 
horse's  mouth  soft ;  and  therefore  it  is  much  more  valuable  in  teaching  to 
make  the  young  riders  dispense  altogether  with  the  reins  than  with  the 
stirrups,  and  may  be  done  sooner. 

Apropos  of  rising  in  the  stirrups,  we  hear  it  asserted  that  "  either  to 
avoid  a  kick,  or  in  jumping  a  large  fence,  the  rider,  by  merely  rising  in  his 
stirrups,  lifts  his  body  off  the  seat  and  accordingly  the  blow  aimed  at  it 
fails  to  reach  it." 

If  a  man  sits  in  the  right  place  he  does  not  need  to  rise  in  his  stirrups 
for  any  such  purpose. 

We  believe  that  the  great  secret  of  good  horsemanship  in  general  con- 
sists in  avoiding  exaggerations  of  all  kinds.  The  saddle,  the  position  of 
the  stirrup,  and  the  peculiar  object  in  view,  may  and  must  induce  modifica- 
tions of  the  seat ;  but  riding  is  still  riding,  and  the  mechanism  of  the 
horse's  construction  cannot  be  altered  by  mere  fashion. 


ROAD-RIDINa 

The  road-rider,  although  not  required  to  take  fences,  or  permitted  to  ride 
at  full  gallop  like  the  hunter,  has  his  own  difficulties  to  contend  with  :  he 
has  to  do  his  work  on  a  hard,  inelastic  surface,  and  not  on  grass  fields  or 
ploughed  land  ;  he  must  be  prepared  to  make  sharp  turns,  and  to  meet  all 
sorts  of  provocations  to  shying  and  restiveness,  of  which  the  hunting-man 
knows  little  or  nothing  ;  in  fact,  handiness,  safety  for  himself,  and  a  due 
regard  for  his  horse's  legs,  are  much  more  important  considerations  for  him 
than  great  speed. 

Let  us  take  the  hard  road,  in  the  first  instance,  into  consideration. 
When  one  body  strikes,  falls,  or  impinges  on  another,  to  use  a  scientific 
phrase,  it  receives  the  blow  back  sooner  or  later.  This  is,  as  we  all  know, 
what  is  called  recoil  or  rebound ;  the  elastic  surface  gives  back  the  blow 
later  and  more  gradually ;  the  inelastic  one  sooner,  and  more  suddenly.  The 
horse's  leg  being  elastic,  it  receives  but  a  small  shock  from  the  elastic  turf, 
this  being  divided  between  both  nearly  equally ;  on  the  hard  road  nearly  the 
whole  recoil  is  transmitted  back  to  the  horse's  body  through  its  limbs,  and 
this  is  nearly  equal  to  the  weight  of  both  rider  and  bearer.  There  are 
various  means  by  which  this  recoil  may  be  diminished  in  intensity,  to  the 
great  ease  of  the  horse.  One  of  the  most  obvious  is  to  distribute  the  weight 
as  nearly  as  possible  over  the  middle  of  the  horse's  back,  which  is  con- 
structed, as  we  have  shown,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  admit  of  a  certain  amount 
of  elastic  action  in  a  vertical  direction  —  in  plain  words,  up  and  down. 

Two  men  can  carry  a  greater  weight  with  an  elastic  pole  on  their  shoulders 
than  with  a  stiff  one ;  and  if  the  burden  be  not  exactly  in  the  centre  of 
it,  the  man  to  whom  it  is  nearest  will  get  more  of  the  recoil  from  the 
ground  than  the  other  one.  Now,  taking  into  account  that  the  road-rider 
does  not  want  great  speed,  and  has  at  the  same  time  an  inelastic  surface  to 
deal  with,  there  can,  we  think,  be  little  doubt  that,  by  placing  his  saddle  and 


now  TO  BIDE.  27 

himself  over  the  middle  of  the  horse's  back,  he  will  save  his  bearer  and 
himself  a  large  amount  of  recoil.  If,  however,  in  this  position  he  thrusts 
his  whole  foot  into  the  stirrup,  he  thereby  throws  away  a  further  chance  ; 
for,  by  merely  resting  with  the  ball  of  his  foot  on  the  bar  of  the  stirrup, 
his  knee  being  slightly  bent,  he  superadds  the  elastic  action  of  his  own  legs 
at  knee  and  ankle  to  that  of  the  horse's,  and  this  is  the  legitimate  and 
proper  way  of  riding  "  close  seat." 

A  wholly  useless  and  absurd  method  of  performing  this  feat  is  when 
the  stirrup  is  ever  so  far  away  from  the  part  of  the  saddle  on  which  the 
rider  sits,  for  then  there  is  an  end  of  the  elastic  action  of  the  rider's  leg. 

The  plan  adopted  in  England  is  to  avoid  the  recoil  of  the  "  close  seat " 
by  rising  in  the  stirrups,  which,  of  course,  is  the  most  sensible  way  for  a 
man  who  has  to  ride  long  distances  and  is  not  encumbered  with  weapons. 
It  has,  however,  its  inconveniences,  especially  if  the  stirrup  is  placed  very 
far  forward ;  for  then,  in  the  first  place,  the  foot  being  thrust  home  in  the 
stirrup,  the  elasticity  of  the  rider's  leg  is  not  utilized  ;  and  even  when  this 
is  not  the  case,  the  "  tread  "  being  oblique  cannot  have  the  effect  intended  ; 
secondly,  the  whole  seat  is  abandoned  for  a  certain  time,  nothing  remaining 
in  contact  with  the  horse  except  the  leg  from  the  knee  downwards,  which  is 
of  little  use ;  thirdly,  the  horse  learns  to  lean  on  the  hand,  for  the  rider 
must  depend  on  his  reins,  for  a  moment  of  time  at  least,  which,  of  course, 
renders  correct  bitting  impossible  ;  finally,  the  rider's  weight  is  being  con- 
stantly transferred  from  the  hind  to  the  fore  quarters  of  the  horse.  There 
may  be  average  equilibrium,  but  it  is  never  permanently  in  the  right  place, 
and  hence  the  danger  ;  for  a  sudden  start  or  stumble  at  the  moment  the 
rider  is  in  the  air  is  the  most  common  cause  of  the  accidents  that  occur. 

There  is,  however,  a  further  peculiarity  belonging  to  this  English 
method,  or  rising  in  the  saddle,  that  is  worth  understanding,  because  the 
successful  trotting  of  many  horses  depends  on  its  being  so.  The  man  riding 
"  close  seat "  rises  and  falls  with  each  tread  of  the  horse ;  the  English  rider 
only  with  the  intermediate  ones ;  he  always  conies  down  on  his  saddle 
simultaneously  with  one  and  the  same  hind  leg ;  and  the  consequence  is, 
that  in  trotting  after  this  fashion  one  diagonal  pair  of  legs  is  constantly 
saved  from  the  recoil,  and  the  other  as  constantly  exposed  to  it. 

Every  practical  rider  must  have  observed  that  with  certain  horses  there 
is  a  difficulty  in  starting  to  trot,  in  the  accommodation  of  the  rider's  rise  in 


28  now   TO  BIDE. 

the  stirrups  to  the  first  movements  ;  he  will  have  to  feel  his  way,  as  it 
were,  to  the  proper  leg,  and  perhaps  be  obliged  to  sit  out  two  or  three  shakes 
before  he  can  get  at  it ;  for  many  horses  trot  unequally  —  that  is,  take  a 
longer  stride  with  one  pair  of  legs  than  with  the  other.  The  rider  should 
observ^e  this  in  difficult  cases,  and  try  to  find  out,  which  he  soon  can,  with 
which  hind  leg  he  should  rise  or  fall.  Men  who  have  this  instinct  are  able 
to  trot  horses  that  perfectly  good  riders  fail  with. 

A  celebrated  German  veterinary  surgeon  has  observed  that  the  near  hind 
and  off  fore  legs  of  most  horses  are  stronger  than  the  other  two  ;  and  he 
attributes  some  well-known  but  hitherto  seemingly  inexplicable  facts  in 
connection  with  horses  to  this  circumstance  —  as,  for  instance,  that  they 
naturally  prefer,  in  cantering  and  galloping,  to  lead  with  the  near  leg,  the 
weight  being  then  supported  by  the  two  strongest  limbs  (near  hind  and  off 
fore)  ;  that  spavin  occurs  more  frequently  on  the  off  than  the  near  side  ; 
and  that  horses  in  wheeling  about,  through  restiveness,  always  do  so  to  the 
left,  on  the  near  hind  leg,  etc.  He  advances  in  support  of  his  views  the 
well-known  fact  that  men's  right  arms  and  left  legs  are  naturally  most 
relied  on,  being  also  stronger  ;  and  he  believes  this  to  be  the  case  with  very 
many  other  animals  —  dogs,  for  instance,  whose  method  of  going  diagonally 
seems  to  prove  it.  Now  it  is  quite  possible  that  this  is  also  the  cause  of 
what  has  been  alluded  to  above,  —  namely,  that  in  trotting  after  the  English 
fashion,  tlie  horse  endeavors  to  accommodate  the  strong  and  weak  pairs  of 
legs  to  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  rider  in  the  saddle  ;  and  if  so,  it  is  worth  the 
attention  of  practical  men. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary,  after  what  has  been  already  said,  to  demonstrate 
over  again  how  conducive  to  handiness,  perfect  mastery  over  the  horse,  inde- 
pendence of  the  rein,  and  therefore  good  bitting,  a  central  position  of  the 
saddle,  stirrups,  and  seat  must  be  ;  and  these  are,  we  take  it,  the  conditions 
under  which  road-riding  may  be  done  safely  and  agreeably. 


THE   MILITARY   SEAT. 

And,  as  to  the  seat,  the  hunting  rider  can  adjiist  liis  Aveight  as  he  pleases ; 
he  may  vary  his  position  in  the  saddle,  which  constitutes  the  Avhole  of  the 
dead  weight ;  his  doing  so  must  not  necessarily  give  his  horse  a  sore  back 
or  bruised  withers.  On  the  other  hand,  the  dead  Aveight  carried  by  the 
troop  horses  is  most  usually  equal  to,  in  many  cases  greater  than,  that  of 
the  rider;  a  shifting  of  the  seat  will,  therefore,  necessarily  destroy  not  only 
the  poise  of  the  horse,  but,  what  is  still  worse,  that  of  the  saddle  —  and 
this  is  what  kills  the  horses,  or,  at  least,  sends  them  into  hospital. 

The  cavalry  soldier's  seat  must  be  therefore  fixed,  and  not  subject  to 
variation  ;  in  charging  he  must  bend  his  body  forwards,  from  the  hips 
upwards,  in  order  to  use  his  weapons,  and  stand  in  his  stirrups,  and  this 
will  suffice  to  accelerate  the  speed  of  his  horse.  The  grand  rule  is  to 
arrange  the  saddle  itself  and  the  stirrups  so  that  the  rider  can  only  sit  in 
the  proper  position,  that  he  falls  naturally  into  it,  and  that  it  requires  no 
muscular  effort  to  maintain  it. 

If  this  be  not  the  case,  the  moment  the  man  becomes  tired,  or  his  horse 
makes  a  rapid  movement,  the  whole  seat  is  lost,  and  the  muscular  effort 
that  should  remain  altogether  available  for  the  sabre  is  expended  in 
endeavoring  to  maintain  or  regain  an  injudicious  seat.  The  true  seat  is, 
therefore,  in  the  middle  of  the  saddle,  whose  upper  surface  should  be  so 
formed  as  not  to  admit  of  any  other  one  ;  then  the  stirrup  must  be  under 
the  seat,  and  not  eight  to  twelve  inches  in  front  of  it.  For  that  requires 
muscular  action  to  keep  the  stirrup  in  a  certain  position  at  an  angle  to  its 
natural  fall,  instead  of  the  stirrup  supporting  the  leg  as  the  latter  falls. 
Such  a  position  is  not  maintainable  for  any  length  of  time,  or  in  sharp 
movement.  In  trot,  for  instance,  the  soldier,  not  being  permitted  to  rise  in 
his  saddle,  must  seek  a  support  which  the  stirrups  cannot  afford  if  they  are 
too  far  forward,  the  tread  in  the  stirrup  comes  to  be  in  the  direction  of  the 


30 


HOW  TO  RIDE. 


poiut  of  the  horse's  shoulder,  "tongs  across  a  wall/'  and  the  counteraction  is 
then  upwards  in  the  line  of  the  man's  thigh,  against  which  the  intestines 
descend,  and  produce,  if  there  is  the  slightest  natural  weakness  in  the  indi- 
vidual, rupture.  The  stirrups  being  far  forward  in  the  hunting  or  civilian 
saddle  are  not  so  injurious  in  this  way,  because  the  rider  evades  the  shock 
by  rising  in  the  saddle  — and  this  is  just  what  led  to  the  English  way  of 
riding ;  but  the  cavalry  soldier  cannot  do  so. 


'OUR    GLADSTONE    SADDLE." 


'OUR    VICTORIA   SADDLE 


PART    II. 


The  best  thing  for  the  inside  of  a  man  is  the  outside  of  a  horse.  —  Old  Pkoverb. 


"FIRST    LESSONS." 

Horseback  exercise  is  the  physician's  prescription  to  a  patient  whose 
general  derangement  of  stomach,  liver,  and  skin,  not  to  mention  brain,  has 
been  brought  about  by  sedentary  and  mental  exhaustive  pursuits.  To  the 
pupil  commencing  to  ride,  two  grand  rules  must  be  constantly  obeyed,  first, 
the  avoidance  of  fatigue;  second,  the  recognition  of  amusement  in  con- 
nection with  the  lessons,  which  must  be  conducted  according  to  the  ph3^sical 
capabilities  of  the  individual. 

Boys  learn  to  ride  anywhere,  or  on  any  sort  of  an  animal ;  but  the 
person  who  has  not  ridden  since  his  youth,  distant  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
cannot  expect  to  do  the  same. 

A  little  preparatory  training,  carefully  conducted,  will  do  much  towards 
rendering  the  first  riding  lesson  easy.  A  mild  course  of  gymnastics  such 
as  the  dumb-bells,  not  being  too  heavy,  will  give  a  compulsory,  firm  position 
to  the  lower  half  of  the  body,  while  the  upper  half  is  actively  employed. 
Now  that  is  exact!  1/  what  is  needful  for  a  horseman  —  that  the  lower  limbs 
should  be  attached  to  the  horse,  like  a  centaur,  and  his  trunk  well  balanced 
and  flexible. 

When  a  grown  man,  after  the  time  his  bones  are  set  and  his  muscles 
assume  new  duties  with  difficulty,  takes  to  riding  either  as  a  remedy  for 
indisposition  of  body  or  mind,  or  as  an  amusement,  he  should  avail  himself 
of  the  saddle  which  will  help  him  most,  giving  him  a  comfortable,  secure, 
and  upright  seat,  no  chafing,  and  easy  to  retain  under  difficulties.  This  is 
our  Gladstone  saddle,  designed  by  us,  and  made  by  the  best  English  saddlers 
for  our  establishment  only.  It  is  used  even  by  practised  horsemen,  Avhose 
muscles  are  less  strong  and  nerves  less  steady  than  in  the  days  of  their  youth. 


36  HOW   TO  BIDE. 

To  be  thoroughly  comfortable  and  safe  it  is  as  necessary  that  the  rider 
should  be  measured  for  a  Gladstone  saddle  as  for  a  pair  of  trousers  or 
breeches.  The  seat  must  be  large  enough,  the  sloping  under  the  thighs  tit 
in  well,  and  the  pads  in  front  of  the  knees  be  arranged  to  a  nicety.  The 
seat  is  soft  and  springy,  causing  no  soreness  even  after  a  long  ride.  A 
gentleman  who  had  been  riding  a  common  saddle  described  the  change  to 
one  of  our  Gladstone's,  as  "all  the  difference  between  abject  terror  and 
perfect  confidence." 


MOUNTING. 

Horsemanship  came  with  the  horses  from  the  East.  The  first  horsemen 
were  soldiers,  and  the  art  is  to  this  day  affected  by  military  traditions.  We 
are  all  taught  to  mount  or  dismount  on  the  left  or  "near  side"  of  the 
horse,  because  the  military  horseman  requires  to  mount  with  his  sword  or 
spear  in  his  right  hand  ready  for  defence  or  attack.  This  compels  him  to 
face  towards  the  rear  of  the  horse. 

The  correct  way  of  mounting  for  civilians  is  shown  by  the  drawings  No. 
1  and  No.  2.  To  attain  the  position  "  prepare  to  mount,"  the  pupil  should 
grasp  the  reins  with  the  right  hand,  and  rest  it  on  the  pommel  of  the 
saddle ;  then  take  hold  of  the  stirrup  with  the  left  hand,  raise  the  left  foot, 
and  place  it  in  the  stirrup  as  far  as  the  ball  of  the  foot,  carefully  keeping 
the  toe  away  from  the  horse's  side. 

To  attain  the  second  position  "mount,"  spring  from  the  right  instep 
(not  to  drag  the  body  up  by  the  hands),  bringing  both  heels  together,  the 
body  upright  and  slightly  leaning  over  the  saddle,  both  knees  firm  against 
the  flap  of  the  saddle.  As  you  spring,  grasp  the  mane  with  the  left  hand. 
The  right  leg  should  now  be  passed  clear  over  the  horse's  quarters  to  the 
off  side.  The  knee  should  be  closed  to  the  saddle  first,  and  in  passing  the 
right  leg  over  the  horse's  croup,  the  toe  should  be  down.     The  pupil  should 


PREPARE    TO    MOUNT." 


38  now  TO   RIDE. 

next  be  shown  how  to  take  a  rein  in  each  hand,  and  be  placed  in  the  saddle. 
In  taking  the  reins  they  should  be  through  the  full  of  the  hand  and  over  the 
forefinger,  with  the  thumb  closed  firmly  on  the  top,  and  the  little  finger 
should  be  outside  the  rein. 

The  pupil  should  sit  in  the  middle  of  the  saddle,  with  the  body  upright 
but  easy  ;  the  head  raised,  and  the  weight  of  the  upper  part  of  the  body 
over  the  hips ;  the  shoulders  square,  and  thrown  back ;  the  small  part  of 
the  back  slightly  bent  forward;  the  elbows  under  tlie  shoulders,  and  to 
touch  the  hips  lightly.  The  hands  should  be  in  front  of  the  elbows,  which 
will  bring  them  about  six  inches  apart,  and  the  wrist  very  slightly  rounded 
outwards,  the  little  finger  about  as  high  as  the  elbow  and  under  the  hand, 
the  thumb  on  the  top  and  close  on  the  rein.  The  flat  side  of  the  thigh  and 
inside  of  the  knee  should  be  placed  to  the  saddle,  but  not  screwed  round  so 
as  to  take  all  the  power  out  of  the  leg.  (A  great  deal  here  depends  on  the 
shape  of  the  leg.  A  man  with  a  round  thigh  and  large  knee  finds  it  more 
difficult  to  do  this  than  one  with  a  thin,  flat  thigh  and  small  knee,  and  allow- 
ance must  be  made  accordingly.)  The  lower  part  of  the  legs  should  be 
close  to  the  sides  of  the  horse,  and.  the  heels  down. 

The  stirrup  may  now  be  fitted,  and  in  doing  this  the  bar  of  the  stirrup 
should  reach  about  three  inches  above  the  upper  edge  of  the  heel  of  the 
boot ;  the  feet  are  then  to  be  placed  in  the  stirrups  as  far  as  the  ball  of 
the  foot,  care  being  taken  in  doing  this  not  to  get  the  knees  forced  too 
much  up. 

The  sketch  No.  3,  "  the  proper  seat,"  shows  the  square  seat,  the  upright 
carriage,  the  fall  of  the  legs,  and  position  of  the  toes.  A  firm  seat  can  be 
attained  by  practice  and  close  attention  to  the  style  of  the  rider  here 
depicted. 

After  feeling  confidence,  it  is  well  to  acquire  flexibility  of  body  above 
the  hips,  while  the  lower  parts  —  hip  to  knee  —  are  left  firmly  attached  to 
the  horse,  learning,  while  still  riding  first  slowly,  then  fast,  to  lean  back 
and  touch  the  horse  with  the  shoulders,  to  bend  down,  put  on,  and  take  off 
either  stirrup ;  in  trotting  to  lose  a  stirrup  and  regain  it  without  bending ; 
to  let  the  stirrups  up  or  down  while  walking;  all  of  which  v/ill  render  the 
seat  firm,  and  give  the  rider  confidence. 

If  a  horse  is  ridden  with  a  loose  rein  and  careless  leg,  he  can  turn  round 
to  one  side  before  he  can  be  stopped,  and  if  he  is  tired  he  ma}^  overbalance 


40  BOW  TO  BIDE. 

himself  and  fall.  Tlierefore  a  horse  should  always  be  "pulled  together" 
or  "collected"  before  he  is  asked  to  move;  he  should  be  slightly  retained 
by  the  bridle,  and  lightly  pressed  by  the  legs.  This  makes  him  stand 
square  with  his  legs  under  him,  and  helps  his  equilibrium.  The  legs  of  a 
good  horseman  on  a  well-trained  horse  will  imperceptibly  guide  and  regulate 
his  paces  almost  as  much  as  the  reins. 


"THE   RISE"   IN   THE   STIRRUPS. 

The  general  mistake  in  beginning  to  rise  in  the  stirrups  is  that  the  rider 
works  too  hard  and  continues  bobbing  up  and  down  without  getting  the 
time,  taking  a  great  deal  out  of  himself  and  his  horse  and  doing  no  good. 

In  rising  the  seat  should  just  clear  the  saddle,  but  the  body  must  be 
kept  long  enough  up,  as  it  were,  to  rise  with  one  step  and  sit  down  with  the 
next  (although  the  horse  really  takes  a  step  between).  If  he  loses  the  time, 
which  he  is  pretty  sure  to  do  at  first,  it  is  no  use  to  keep  on  working  the 
body  up  and  down  to  try  and  recover  it,  but  sit  still  for  a  few  steps  and 
then  try  again. 

It  is  found  advisable  with  some  pupils  in  beginning  this  lesson  to  shorten 
their  stirrups  a  hole  for  a  time,  and  with  others  to  take  a  lock  of  the  mane 
in  the  right  hand,  first  putting  both  reins  into  the  left  hand,  of  course 
resuming  the  proper  position  as  soon  as  they  get  into  the  way  of  it  a  little. 
Care  must  also  here  be  taken  that  the  lower  parts  of  the  legs  are  kept 
steady.  Nothing  looks  worse  than  to  see  a  man  kicking  his  horse  under 
the  jaw  with  his  toe,  and  in  the  flank  with  the  heel  every  time  he  rises  on 
the  stirrup.  Besides,  as  long  as  the  legs  are  swinging  backwards  and  for- 
wards, the  seat  cannot  be  very  secure. 

With  a  full  bridle,  that  is,  snaffle  and  curb,  the  pupil  should  ride  on  the 
snaffle,  leaving  the  curb  reins  loose  on  the  horse's  neck,  and  then  he  must 
be  instructed  how  to  take  all  four  reins.  There  are  several  ways  of  doing 
so,  but  the  following  is  preferable  :  — 


'THE    PROPER    SEAT.' 


42  HOW  TO  BIDE. 

Take  the  centre  of  both  reins  in  the  right  hand,  the  snaffle  rein  being  on 
the  top  of  the  curb ;  then  pLace  a  finger  of  tlie  left  hand  between  each  rein, 
beginning  witli  the  little  finger,  so  that  the  left  snaffle  is  outside  the  little 
finger,  the  next  finger  being  between  the  curb  reins,  and  the  right  snaffle 
rein  between  the  forefinger  and  the  middle  finger,  the  whole  being  brought 
over  the  forefinger,  and  the  thumb  closed  firmly  on  the  top  of  the  reins. 
Thus  the  curb  reins  are  the  two  centre  ones,  and  the  snaffle  reins  on  the 
outside. 


DISMOUNTING. 

In  "preparing  to  dismount,"  the  right  hand  takes  hold  of  the  reins  above 
the  left,  and  the  right  foot  is  taken  out  of  the  stirrup,  the  left  hand  then 
slides  forward  on  the  reins  which  are  still  held  in  the  right  hand  about 
twelve  inches  from  the  saddle  ;  then  drop  the  spare  part  of  the  reins  out  of 
the  right  hand  to  the  off  side,  take  the  lock  of  the  mane  as  in  mounting, 
and  place  the  right  hand  on  the  pommel  of  the  saddle.  In  doing  this  the 
body  should  be  kept  upright.  In  "■  dismounting,"  the  body  is  to  be  sup- 
ported by  the  right  hand  and  left  foot,  and  the  right  leg  brought  clear  over 
the  horse's  croup  to  the  near  side  ;  heels  close.  (It  should  be  explained  to 
the  pupil  that  a  pause  is  always  to  be  made  here  both  in  mounting  and 
dismounting ;  in  case  the  horse  is  not  steady  or  anything  wrong,  he  can 
from  this  position  come  down  or  not  as  may  be  best.) 

The  body  is  not  to  be  lowered  till  the  right  foot  is  on  the  ground.  Then, 
keeping  the  hands  in  the  same  position,  take  the  left  foot  out  of  the  stirrup 
and  place  it  in  line  with  the  horse's  fore  feet.  The  pupil  is  then  to  quit 
his  hold  with  both  hands  and  turn  to  his  left,  as  he  turns  taking  hold  of 
the  rein  about  six  inches  from  the  ring  of  the  snaffle  and  raising  the  horse's 
head. 


HOLDING   A    FULL    BRIDLE. 


LADIES'    RIDING. 

Nowhere  in  woman's  empire  does  she  appear  to  such  an  advantage  as 
when  on  a  borse^s  back;  in  the  street,  the  park,  or  anywhere  a  horsewoman 
appears,  the  eye  is  irresistibly  attracted  ;  and  the  figure,  the  face,  the  dress, 
and  finally  the  horse,  are  closely  scrutinized.  There  is  nothing  so  attractive 
to  the  male  observer  as  a  graceful  horsewoman  in  a  well-fitting  riding- 
habit.  Her  beauty  is,  no  doubt,  enhanced  by  the  blood  being  set  in  motion 
and  the  exhilarating  effects  of  the  splendid  exercise.  It  imparts  a  courage 
to  a  timid  woman,  which  must  be  beneficial  in  after  life,  and  as  an  aid  to 
digestion  and  health  the  exercise  is  invaluable.  There  is  no  limit  to  the 
age  at  which  a  lady  may  commence  taking  lessons.  Some  of  the  most 
finished  horsewomen  known  did  not  begin  riding  till  long  after  they  were 
married.  The  position  of  the  lady  rider  is  much  more  secure  than  the 
man's.  On  a  well-fitted  lady's  saddle,  with  the  pommels  arranged  to  a 
nicety,  it  is  almost  impossible  for  the  rider  to  lose  her  seat;  it  is  as  essen- 
tial, however,  for  the  lady  to  be  measured  for  the  saddle  as  for  her  riding 
habit. 

The  seat  of  the  saddle  should  be  perfectly  level.  Level  seat  may  require 
a  few  words  of  explanation.  The  ordinary  side-saddle,  made  with  the  arch 
of  the  tree  raised  to  clear  the  withers,  is  necessarily  much  higher  in  front 
than  behind,  and  as  a  consequence  the  knee  is  thrown  up  in  a  cramped  and 
fatiguing  position.  It  is  thus  diflicult  to  keep  the  figure  erect,  an  aching 
back  ensues  to  the  rider,  and  the  body  is  twisted  sideways,  giving  only  a 
one-sided  development  to  the  muscles,  and  great  danger  of  causing  damage 
to  the  spine.  The  weight  is  not  in  the  centre,  and  that  with  the  chafing  on 
the  withers  is  frequent  torture  to  the  horse.  The  level  seat  has  the  tree 
cut  away  to  escape  the  Avithers,  and  replaced  by  a  pad  of  soft  leather,  giving 
that  horizontal  shape  from  front  to  rear  so  much  desired,  yet  so  seldom 
found.  It  permits  the  rider  to  sit  perfectly  square  to  the  horse's  head,  with 
the  knee  down,  the  body  erect,  and  no  cramps,  fatigue,  or  twisting  the 
spine. 


MOUNTING. 


46  BOW  TO   RIDE. 

The  safest  arrangement  for  side-saddles,  to  avoid  risk  of  being  hung  up 
by  the  stirrup,  or  dragged  by  the  skirt,  can  be  seen  on  our  "  Victoria  "  side- 
saddles, with  perfectly  level  seat,  patented  and  adopted  in  England.  We 
have  secured  them  for  this  country,  and  find  them  invaluable.  With  these 
attachments,  in  case  of  accident,  the  foot  is  instantly  released,  and  the  skirt 
of  the  habit  falls  clear  of  the  saddle. 

The  method  of  mounting  is  as  follows :  — 

Take  the  reins  and  whip  in  your  right  hand,  and  lay  the  fingers  of  it 
firmly  upon  the  top  of  the  up-pommel,  —  grasping  it,  in  fact ;  then,  with  your 
left  hand,  gather  your  skirt  away  from  your  left  foot,  and  place  this  latter 
in  the  hand  of  your  assistant,  bending  your  knee  as  you  do  so.  When  you 
feel  that  his  palm  is  firmly  supporting  the  sole  of  your  foot,  take  your  left 
hand  from  your  habit  skirt,  and  place  it  on  his  left  shoulder,  he  being  in 
a  slightly  stooping  position  at  the  time.  Then  give  him  the  signal.  As  you 
say  the  word,  straighten  your  knee,  and  make  a  slight  spring  upward,  your 
cavalier  at  the  same  instant  raising  himself  to  an  erect  position,  without 
letting  his  hand  drop  in  the  smallest  degree.  By  this  arrangement  you  will 
reach  your  saddle  with  comfort  and  expertness.  Be  cautious  also  not  to 
touch  your  horse,  when  mounting,  with  your  whip. 

As  soon  as  you  are  secure  upon  your  saddle,  and  have  learned  to  feel  at 
home  there,  get  your  horse  walked  about  with  the  reins  looped  over  his 
neck.  Do  not  touch  them  at  all  at  first,  or  trouble  yourself  about  carrying 
a  whip,  but  rather  devote  your  energies  and  attention  to  acquiring  an  even 
balance,  and  learning  the  proper  grip  of  the  pommels,  without  which  you 
never  can  ride  well. 

Do  not  lean  heavily  upon  the  stirrup,  or  force  yourself  to  undue  muscular 
action  ;  nor  will  it  be  in  all  cases  wise  to  thrust  the  left  foot  "  home,"  as  it 
is  called:  better  ride  from  the  ball  of  it.  Ascertain  before  starting  that 
your  stirrup-leather  is  precisely  the  right  length,  in  order  that  you  may  not 
be  induced  to  lean  to  the  left  side,  owing  to  its  being  too  long,  or  have  your 
knee  uncomfortably  thrust  up  on  account  of  its  shortness.  You  should  sit 
erect  and  square,  with  chest  forward  and  shoulders  well  back,  yet  without 
any  appearance  of  stiffness  or  rigidity  of  position.  Be  as  firm  as  a  rock 
below  the  waist,  but  light  and  flexible  as  a  reed  above  it.  On  these  two  rules 
all  the  beauty,  and  indeed  the  safety,  of  equestrianism  depend. 

Again,  you  will  discover  that  the  toe  of  your  right  foot  has  a  dreadful 


48  now  TO  RIDE. 

tendency  to  turn  outward  from  the  ankle,  while  that  of  the  left  turns  down, 
and  shows  the  sole  of  your  boot  to  those  in  the  rear  of  3'ou. 

Avoid,  above  all  things,  sitting  too  much  to  the  left :  it  will  not  only 
induce  you  to  lean  too  hard  upon  the  stirrup,  —  a  thing  which  3'ou  ought 
not  to  do  at  all, — but  will  be  pretty  certain  to  give  your  horse  a  tender 
back  from  the  very  beginning. 

Never,  on  any  account,  grip  the  pommels,  or  clutch  at  the  mane,  no 
matter  how  frightened  yon  may  be.  A  little  start  will  not  upset  you,  nor 
will  a  sudden  playful  movement  have  the  power  to  send  you  off,  providing 
that  you  are  sitting  "  square,"  with  your  right  leg  well  pressed  over  the 
up-pommel,  and  your  left  against  the  leaping-head,  while  your  whole  atten- 
tion is  given  to  your  seat,  and  to  nothing  else  whatever. 

This  is  the  true  secret  of  learning  to  ride  from  balance;  and  once  it  is 
yours,  nothing  can  unseat  you,  so  long  as  your  horse  remains  upon  his  legs. 

To  rise  in  the  saddle,  you  must  keep  the  left  heel  well  down,  and  move 
the  leg  as  little  as  possible.  To  sway  it  like  a  pendulum  will  not  help  you 
one  bit. 

Keep  your  hands  perfectly  stead}' ,  your  arms  to  your  sides,  your  left 
foot  sliglitly  pressing  the  stirrup  as  the  horse  throws  out  his  near  fore  leg, 
while  you  lift  yourself  very  slightly  at  the  precise  instant  that  his  other  leg 
is  advanced. 

It  will  take  you  a  long  v\^hile  to  accomidish  this.  Over  and  over  again, 
you  will  sigh  with  disappointment,  and  say  involuntarily,  "  I  cannot  do  it." 
But  you  can,  and  will  in  time,  if  you  will  only  persevere.  Few  things  worth 
learning  can  be  acquired  in  a  hurry.  A  woman  with  plenty  of  courage  and 
go  about  her  will  learn  how  to  ''  stick  on  "  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of 
time. 

Horses  are  controlled  by  the  reins,  the  voice,  the  legs,  and  a  lady  rider 
must  make  her  whip-handle  serve  her  for  the  management  and  guidance  of 
her  horse  on  the  off  side,  where  a  man  has  the  advantage  of  having  his  right 
leg  to  assist  him  in  the  office.  For  example,  in  turning  a  corner  to  the 
right,  the  body  should  be  bent  slightly  to  the  off  side,  and  the  leg  be  pressed 
lightly  but  firmly  on  the  left  side.  When  the  turn  is  to  the  left,  the  body 
should  be  inclined  that  way,  while  the  whip-handle  is  judiciously  pressed 
against  the  off  side :  this  preserves  an  even  balance,  and  prevents  the 
animal's  quarters  from  coming  too  suddenly  round. 


OFF    SIDE   OF  VICTORIA   SADDLE,    SHOWING    LEVEL  SEAT. 


LEAPING. 

Every  one  should  learn  to  leap,  as  the  practice  gives  the  rider  a  secure 
seat.  When  a  horse  leaps  he  throws  the  unprepared  rider  forward.  The 
object  then  is  to  resist  or  neutralize  by  his  position  in  the  saddle,  the 
impetus  forward,  created  by  the  horse's  bound.  The  horseman  must  sit 
firmly  iu^  the  middle  of  the  saddle,  with  the  snaffle  reins  held  in  both  hands, 
and  both  hands  held  low  over  the  horse's  withers,  and  look  straight  between 
his  horse's  ears.  As  the  horse  approaches  the  leap,  he  should  bend  his  body 
hduok,  from  the  hips  upivards,  over  the  cantle  of  the  saddle,  while  keeping 
his  "seat"  firmly  in  its  place  by  the  grip  of  his  legs  and  thighs. 

The  degree  of  leaning  back  depends  on  the  extent  of  the  leap  and  the 
action  of  the  horse ;  at  a  great  down  jump  the  best  horsemen  almost  touch 
the  horse's  croup.  Some  make  the  mistake  of  sitting  back  on  the  saddle  and 
thus  exposing  themselves  to  the  action  of  the  loin-muscles  ;  whereas  it  is 
not  their  seat,  but  their  shoulders,  that  should  fall  flexibly  back  and  return 
to  the  upright  position  when  the  horse  is  landed. 

According  to  military  instructions  "  the  body  is  to  be  inclined  forward 
as  the  horse  rises,  and  backwards  as  he  alights ; "  but  that  is  a  feat  which 
only  a  long-practised  horseman  can  accurately  perform.  The  chances  are 
that  the  pupil  who  attempts  it,  if  he  does  not  get  a  black  eye  or  bruised 
nose  from  the  horse's  neck,  will  find  himself  jumped  out  of  the  saddle  from 
not  having  timed  his  change  to  the  backward  motion  accurately. 

The  reins  should  be  held  loose  enough  to  give  the  horse  power  to  fully 
extend  his  neck.  Many  a  rider  has  been  pulled  out  of  the  saddle,  at  a  leap, 
by  the  extension  of  the  horse's  neck,  and  many  times  the  horse  refuses  the 
leap  from  being  held  hard  by  the  reins  when  his  mouth  should  be  felt,  not 
resti-ained. 


HOLDING    REINS    IN    LEAPING. 


HINTS   TO   BEGINNERS. 

Teaching  horsemanship  is  expressed  in  the  following  commands,  which 
all  good  riding-masters  repeat  hour  after  hour  to  their  pupils.  Shoulders 
back  —  waist  slack  —  heels  down  —  hands  down  —  elbows  close  to  side  — 
head  erect  —  eyes  directed  upwards  —  sit  back. 

A  short  rider  mounting  a  tall  horse  may  let  down  the  stirrup  leathers  a 
few  holes,  and  take  them  up  when  mounted. 

Restive  horses  should  be  mounted  in  the  stable  yard,  with  their  heads 
turned  against  the  closed  stable  door,  until  they  learn  to  stand  still  without 
being  held. 

Make  it  your  habit  to  fondle  your  horse  before  mounting,  so  as  to 
accustom  him  to  your  voice. 

Always  approach  his  head  first. 

The  bridle  hand  is  the  left  hand. 

The  whip  hand  is  the  right  hand. 

The  near  side  is  the  left  side  as  you  sit ;  the  off  side  is  to  the  right. 

Never  begin  to  fight  with  a  horse  unless  you  have  strength  enough 
to  win. 

If  a  horse  rears,  do  not  support  yourself  by  the  reins ;  loosen  them 
slightly  and  throw  your  arm  around  his  neck,  giving  him  first  one  spur  and 
then  the  other ;  this  will  compel  the  hind  legs  to  move  forward,  and  he 
loses  his  support. 

When  a  horse  shies  and  turns  half  round,  it  is  useless  to  try  and  force 
him  back,  because  he  always  turns  on  his  strong  side  ;  but  quick  as  thought 
turn  him  round  in  a  complete  circle  ;  if  he  still  hesitates  to  go  forward, 
circle  him  again  and  again,  because  in  this  motion  he  cannot  resist. 

If  he  shies  without  turning  around,  always  pull  him  from  the  object  of 
his  alarm. 

If  he  tries  to  rub  you  against  a  wall  or  tree,  pull  his  head  towards  it. 

If  a  horse  is  really  alarmed,  as  for  instance  at  a  machine  of  some  kind, 
dismount,  soothe,  and  lead  him  past. 

When  a  gentleman  accompanies  a  lady,  he  should  ride  on  the  right  side, 
his  bridle  and  whip  in  the  right  hand,  so  that  he  may  be  prepared  to  assist 
her  with  his  left  hand  if  needed. 


THE   PETERSON   STIRRUP. 


Every  rider  knows  how  unpleasant,  not  to  say  dangerous,  it  is  for  the 
foot  to  slip  so  far  into  the  stirrup  that  the  weight  rests  on  the  "  small  of  the 
foot."  This  trouble  and  danger  is  entirely  removed  by  the  use  of  this 
stirrup,  which  also  releases  the  foot  instantly  in  case  of  accident,  thereby 
adding  to  the  rider's  confidence  and  courage.  The  bar,  which  is  the  feature 
of  the  stirrup,  can  be  raised  or  lowered  to  fit  any  foot. 


MARK  W.  CROSS  &  CO., 


MAKERS   OF 


HARNESS, 


IMPORTERS   OF   LONDON   SADDLES, 


AND 


COMPLETE  OUTFITTERS  FOR  RIDING  AND  DRIVING. 


THE  LARGEST 

HORSE  FURNISHING  ESTABLISHMENT 

IN   THE  IVORLD. 

ii8#i2.o  SUDBURY  STREET, 

BOSTON. 


RIDING   HABITS. 


IN  keeping  with  the  great  improvements  made  in  the  last 
few  years  in  Saddlery,  Ladies*  Riding  Habits  have  under- 
gone most  radical  changes,  which  have  added  greatly  to  theii' 
beauty  and  safety.  The  great  variety  of  materials  used  in 
different  weights  and  colors,  with  contrasting  waistcoats,  etc., 
has  given  them  a  picturesqueness  which  has  heretofore  been 
lacking. 

Our  perfect-fitting  safety  skirt,  adapted  from  the  most 
approved  London  and  Vienna  patterns,  is  acknowledged  to 
be  the  "  par  excellence  "  of  habit  skirts. 


Gentlemen's  Ridinor  Trousers  and  Breeches. 


OUR    exceptional    facilities   enable   us   to  show  the   most 
complete    assortment    of   cloths,  and   the   fit,  style,  and 
workmanship  we  guarantee  to  be  the  best. 


L    P.    HOLLANDER   &   CO., 

BOSTON: Boylston  Street  and  Park  Square. 

NEW  YORK :-------  200  Fifth  Avenue. 


